


Something Special

by eyesthatslay, sandy_s



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-13
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-31 04:41:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10891908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eyesthatslay/pseuds/eyesthatslay, https://archiveofourown.org/users/sandy_s/pseuds/sandy_s
Summary: Story Artist: EyesthatslayAuthor: Sandy S.Disclaimer: We own nothing. Joss owns all.Summary: Buffy sets out to help Spike feel like he means something to her for their anniversary. Set in an AU universe after season 5 of AtS.Author’s Dedication: For eyesthatslay and musing_mia for always being so kind to me and for Rhonda, Rachel, Thia, Aimee, Jenn, Gabrielle, and Yani just because. Special thanks to eyesthatslay for coming up the magnificent title and for so beautifully illustrating the story. Collaborating with you has been an amazing, unique, and fun experience!Artist’s Dedication: For Sandy, truly one of the kindest people I know, and a friend I will always treasure. For Natalie, my sister by choice. I'm so grateful for you. For amoonchilde and musing_mia, my two earliest fandom friends, that I've been blessed to call real life friends for many years now. And for my wonderful Mom, who is more amazing than I can say.





	1. Coming Up with A Plan - Somewhere in Texas

_The minute I heard my first love story, I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along._  
\--Rumi

 _I don’t need a perfect one. I just need someone who can make me feel that I’m the only one._  
\--Unknown author

**Coming Up with A Plan – Somewhere in Texas**

 

On a break from one of their umpteenth missions around the world since leaving Sunnydale, Buffy cups her frozen margarita with both hands and sighs. The Christmas lights in Mi Tierra Café y Panadería are twinkling around them, but she feels far from festive.

 

Her best friend watches her with expectant eyes, her drink one of those fruity ones that comes in a pineapple and has a little umbrella. “You’ll think of something,” the redhead says, prompting Buffy to continue.

 

“But he always does wonderful things for me that I would never think of in a million years, and it makes my paltry gift seem so lame.” She takes a sip of her cocktail and frowns, her brain truly stumped. “It’s not that I’m not romantic or that I don’t love him. It’s just. . .”

 

“He’s pretty good at it, huh?” Willow leans forward on her bent forearm, tucking the straw in the corner of her lip and then sipping.

 

“Yeah. Like when we first got together for real, he planned this mini-vacation to an island off the coast of Florida, and it was so wonderful to get away from all the slayage and just be. . . away with him.” Memories of making love to him on the beach under the full moon still give her the kind of shivers that are of the good.

 

Willow is thoughtful. “But romantic gestures don’t have to be grand or big to be romantic. When I was choosing Tara, all I did was bring a glowy candle to her dorm room. I’ll never forget the look on her face.”

 

Buffy props her chin on her palm and smiles. “I didn’t know that.” 

 

Willow blushes at the memory. “Yeah. And this is Spike we’re talking about here. He’s not hard to please. From what I remember, all you have to do is sorta halfway smile at him, and he’s weak in the knees.”

 

Buffy sighs happily, tugging at a stray blonde hair that popped out of her lazy up do. “Yeah. I do kinda have him wrapped around my finger.”

 

A cool arm circles her waist from behind and his breath tickles her ear as he announces his presence, “Oh, you do, do you?”

 

Buffy shrieks and twists in her seat to kiss her vampire. “How much did you hear?”

 

“Not much other than the wrapping part.” Spike slides onto a seat between the two young women. “What are you two talking about?”

 

“None of your business!” Buffy teases, exchanging a look with Willow. “Did you and Angel finish the whatsit?”

 

“Yeah, love, we did, and that Kronhip demon is going to have a hell of a time getting back to his dimension when he wakes up in the morning.”

 

“Good. One less thing for us to do. Thanks for tying up that loose end. Now you can relax.”

 

Spike leans back, hands behind his head. “Sounds like a plan. Where’s my beer?”

 

“Go get your own beer, mister. You can’t have any of this.” Buffy moves her drink away from him when he tries to misappropriate it.

 

“Don’t want a bloody margarita anyway,” he scoffs, but he doesn’t make a move to head to the bar, not when he has an arm full of Buffy to keep him warm.

 

Willow takes the cue and carrying her drink, she says, “I’m going to go look for Oz. He’s around here somewhere talking about guitars and music stuffs with the mariachi band.”

 

Buffy snuggles closer to Spike, running her hand over the rough denim of his dark jeans, “No doubt. See you later, Will.”

 

As she walks away, Willow glances over at Buffy. “Think about it. It doesn’t have to be grand.”

 

Buffy gives her friend a little left-handed salute because her right hand was otherwise occupied. “Got it.”

 

Spike opens his mouth to question the situation again, but Buffy distracts him with a kiss. 

 

* * *

 

Buffy can’t sleep. She can’t stop thinking about what Willow said about not needing to do anything big for him. At least a year together out in the open with everyone is a big milestone in and of itself. At the same time, he has done so much for her.

 

Climbing out from under the warm blankets on their rather large motel bed, she wanders down the short hallway of the suite, goosebumps moving up her arms as the air conditioning hits her skin. Not really thinking about where she’s going, she finds herself curled up on the living room sofa with her computer in her lap.

 

She slips the thumb drive that Willow gave her into the laptop and clicks on the file that pops up. Inside the folder, she finds all of Giles’s diaries neatly scanned into Word documents and labelled by year. Gnawing on her lower lip, she opens the one from the year that Spike showed up in Sunnydale. . . not the first time he showed up with Drusilla because she so does not want to go there for many reasons. . . but the year he came back and the Initiative chipped him. Squinting at the tiny cramped print, she begins to read, and as she reads into the night, an idea begins to form.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The restaurant is one of Sandy S.'s fave Mexican food restaurants in San Antonio. It's near the Mexican market and a short drive from the Riverwalk, and they do have Christmas decorations everywhere.


	2. Day One of the Plan - Somewhere in Arkansas

 

**Day One of the Plan – Somewhere in Arkansas**

 

Spike bursts through the door of their cabin in the woods. “Bloody hell!”

 

Buffy’s already feeling nervous about her little plan, and now her vampire is in a very bad mood. This does not bode well. She fiddles with the apron string tied around her waist, tightening it a bit more than she originally had it. Poking her head around the small kitchen doorway, she asks, “What happened?”

 

Spike throws his sword on the ground and stomps over to the leather recliner. Plunking down in the seat, he grouses, “Xander happened. That’s what. And that’s the last time you leave me alone with him. I can’t take any more mouth.”

 

Buffy wants to sit on Spike’s lap and soothe his frazzled nerves, but she has this plan and so she hesitates. “What’d he say this time?” She charged Xander with keeping Spike distracted, but from the sound of it, that hadn’t gone so well.

 

“You know Harris. . . always going on about. . .” Spike stops short. “Why are you over there hiding behind the door?” He narrows his eyes. “And what’s that smell?”

 

Buffy sidles out into view, her hip seductively cocked up as she leans against the doorframe. “I’m baking cookies.”

 

Spike takes in her form. . . her muscled limbs golden in the lamp light and her slight curves hidden only by a very short apron that’s cinched at the waist. His eyes soften and his mouth opens slightly, his tongue roving over one incisor. “Baking, huh?”

 

Leaning back, she snags a giant chocolate chip cookie off the cooling rack and sashays over to him, perching on his knee. His fingers move up her thighs to her hips, and he pulls her closer, so she can feel how much he already wants her. She holds up the cookie, and he takes a bite. As he slowly chews, he pinches off pieces and feeds his Slayer. She takes the opportunity to lick the melted chocolate from his index finger in a way that makes him groan and dive in for a kiss.

 

“What’s this about, love?” He’s already forgotten how aggravating the whelp was and is solely focused on the heat of her breath on his lips and the taste of leftover chocolate in her mouth.

 

Her mind scrambles around. She forgot to put together a speech, and she is tingling in a good way from being in Spike’s arms, so she fumbles a bit with the delivery, “Well, it’s our anniversary. . . sort of. . . I mean, we’ve been together a while, and since we don’t really have a set anniversary, I thought I’d do something meaningful to celebrate it with you. . . something that means something to us. You always do such wonderful, thoughtful things, and well, I thought I’d do something. . . or rather somethings symbolic. . . like Willow and her candle. And I was reading all the Watcher’s Diaries that Giles finally got up the courage to scan into the computer, and well, it got me thinking, which as you know, Buffy and thinky thoughts don’t always lead to goodness, but in this case. . .”

 

She trails off as he leans his forehead against hers, his touch steadying her as it always does. “Not really following, love, but let me summarize it, and you tell me if it’s right.”

 

Buffy nods, heart pounding as he brushes back her hair, his hand moving slowly over her chest and down to her belly.

 

“You’re doing something to mark our anniversary, something to make me feel special?”

 

She nods again. “Uh huh.”

 

His fingers find warm, private places beneath her apron that make her squirm. “Didn’t have to do that, pet; you already make me feel special every day just by being here.”

 

Her eyes shining at his words, she deliberately frees him, and they make slow, tender love in the chair, limbs tangled together as she rides him up and down. When they both reach bliss, she curls up in his lap with her head next to his, her feet and calves dangling over the arm of the chair.

 

He breaks their peaceful reverie first, “What I don’t understand, love, is why the chocolate chip cookies?”

 

Her brain is functioning a bit better again, and she says, “To remind you of the time that Willow be-spelled us, and we were in love.” And there’s the cookie dough metaphor, but she so doesn’t want to go there. She nuzzles his cheek with affection and admits something she’s never admitted to anyone before, “Because after the spell was the first time I really felt something for you.”

 

He’s completely taken aback by her confession, “Really?”

 

“Really. It’s not something I think I could be honest with myself about at the time for lots of reasons too numerous to go into right now.” She takes a deep breath, “But I really did.”

 

He smirks a little, proud of himself, “I knew it.”

 

She punches him lightly on the arm. “You did not!”

 

“You had your defenses up. . . couldn’t let on about anything because of what your Scoobies might think.”

 

She finds it easy to accept his words as true now that so much time has passed. “I did kinda avoid you, huh?”

 

“Just a bit.”

 

She remembers doing lots of worse things to push him away after that, but she doesn’t want to push him away now or revisit past hurts, so she wraps her arms around his midsection, changing the subject, “When was the first time you knew you had feelings for me?”

 

Spike has thought about this a lot, so his words come easy, “The first time I saw you. . . when you were dancing with your friends at the Bronze.”

 

Now she’s incredulous. “The time you saw me and were plotting my death?”

 

“Dru saw it before I ever did, and after what happened between us, well, I did a lot of thinking, and yep, that’s the moment.” His fingers rove over her bare bottom.

 

“You did not love me at first sight.”

 

“Well, no. By that point, I wasn’t that much of a sap, but the first feeling I had for you? Watching you be so carefree with your friends, watching you dance? That’s when it all started for me.”

 

“You were doomed.” She nips his earlobe.

 

He isn’t too proud to admit it. “Yeah, pet, I really was.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arkansas because that's where eyesthatslay is from.


	3. Day Two - Somewhere in Ohio

 

**Day Two – Somewhere in Ohio**

 

“You took me here just to see the polar bears?!” Spike is more amused than irritated, after all he likes seeing the gleam of childlike excitement in Buffy’s eyes.

 

“What else would be worth driving two hours from the hellmouth for?” Buffy still can’t believe Spike let her drive the rental car the whole way. . . even on the highway.

 

Spike can’t believe his girl actually wanted to break into the zoo in the middle of the night. Granted, there wasn’t much breaking and more just entering by hopping over the fence. “I thought we were following a lead to some supernatural badness to kill.”

 

“Polar bears were pretty much the agenda.”

 

“So no fighting.”

 

“Nope.”

 

Spike feels a twinge of disappointment, but he tucks her warm hand into his cool one. “Okay. Lead on to polar bears.”

 

Buffy skips a little and beams at him. “You’re going to like them. Apparently, here, they have this amazing enclosure where you can watch the polar bears swim by underwater.”

 

“Sounds extraordinary, pet.”

 

She pokes him in the arm. “Mr. Sarcasm. It’s going to be fabulous!”

 

“So how do you know the bears will be swimming in the middle of the night, and even more importantly, how do you know they won’t be sleeping inside somewhere?”

 

She frowns a little and then shrugs. “I hadn’t thought of that, but I’m going to hope for the best.”

 

They wind their way past the different kinds of bears in North America before they find the polar bear exhibit. Buffy drags him by the hand down an incline to the tucked away, glassed-in viewing area of the giant swimming space. The water is dark and murky-looking but is lit by a soft light, so the liquid isn’t completely opaque. The only problem is that no polar bears are swimming by.

 

Buffy puts her nose up to the glass without touching it and squints into the water. “Well, darn.”

 

Spike joins her, their faces close to the glass and to each other. “Sorry, pet.”

 

She’s determined though, to carry out her plan, so she maintains her position. “Let’s give it a minute.”

 

Hearing stubborn Buffy come out of hiding, Spike wonders how long this is going to last, but over the decades, he’s learned to hone the art of patience, especially, and perhaps only, with those he cares about, so he’s content for the moment. “Okay.”

 

Waiting doesn’t mean he can’t be comfortable though, and he snakes his arm around her waist and pulls her in front of him, his hips against hers. Buffy smiles up at him, and then, she surprises him by opening the flap of her messenger bag and withdrawing a small metal object.

 

“What’s this?”

 

Spinning the lid open, she hands him the flask. “A date?”

 

Taking a drink, Spike grins and whispers in her ear, “Is this another one of those things to make me feel. . .”

 

“Special, important, like you matter to me? Uh huh.” Buffy takes the flask back and downs a swig, the bourbon burning the back of her throat. She wiggles her hips a little against his, musing how very different Spike’s idea of a date is from the other vampire from her past. She decides that she kinda prefers it this way, sort of a mix between traditional date night fun and something a little more dangerous.

 

He’s tempted to turn her and take her against the glass, but he promised her they’d wait for polar bears, and he’s curious. “So, this time. . . ?”

 

She runs her fingertips over the back of his forearms. “An actual date. That we both want to be here for. We haven’t exactly had time to do any regular stuff with all the city hopping, averting apocalypses that keep cropping up since we have so many new Slayers, and killing of things that need to be slain.” 

 

“Breaking into the zoo in the middle of the night isn’t exactly ‘regular stuff.’” He briefly pushes his nose against her ear.

 

She turns in his arms then and hugs him close, “Well, I wanted a re-do of the last time we went on a date.”

 

He snorts. “In Sunnydale with the vamp nest when I tricked you into going with me and then you were disgusted by me? Not sure I want to re-live that particular lovely evening.”

 

She lifts her gaze to his. “Well, yeah. I wasn’t exactly very nice to you, and I don’t want to re-live it; I want to re-do it. Important distinction.” She tugs his head down, threading her fingers through his curls. She kisses him gently on the mouth and then pulls back, her forehead resting on his. “I love you.”

 

Spike opens his mouth to reply when a giant splashing sound resonates from above, and the pair turn their attention to the glass to witness a giant white polar bear swim by, her powerful body pushing through the cold water with ease, gentle eyes watching them as they watch her. They continue to observe in awe as the graceful bear turns a slow flip in the water and gives them one last knowing look before gliding up and away to the surface.

 

Buffy feels like she’s holding her breath, and Spike is silent behind her for several long seconds. The bear doesn’t return, but their moment with her was breathtaking.

 

Spike’s hand splays gently over her stomach. “Well, that was worth it.”

 

Buffy nods, covering his hand with hers. “Yeah.”

 

Then, they hear the distant sound of laughter and muffled chatting.

 

Spike tenses. “Zookeepers nearby, love.”

 

Buffy shakes her head. “No. It’s too late at night for the zookeepers.” She pulls out a pair of stakes from her messenger bag where she’s stowed the flask.

 

Spike raises one eyebrow.

 

She grins and slaps a stake against his palm. “You think I’d drag you out here for a date without a little fight? Wouldn’t be a proper re-do.”

 

“That’s my girl. What’re they doing? Taking a little nibble from the security guards?”

 

“Nope, word on the street is that they’ve been breaking in by the bears and dining on the gorillas.” Her eyes sparkle. She’s having far too much fun with this.

 

“The gorillas?” Spike is halfway incredulous, halfway unsurprised. He’s heard that gorillas are sometimes considered a delicacy in certain vampire circles.

 

“Yep. Weird but true.”

 

“Where are the gorillas?”

 

“Other side of the zoo. That’s where they’re probably headed now. C’mon!”

 

“Of course,” Spike grumbles good-naturedly and takes off after Buffy, drawn by her blonde ponytail bouncing along behind her as she runs after their prey. 

 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is in the Columbus Zoo and the polar bears are actually on the opposite side of the zoo from the gorillas. So yes, it makes no sense for the vampires to break in by the bears to get to the gorillas...just go with it. Eyesthatslay has been to the polar bear exhibit and it does look like the above art minus Buffy and Spike, obvs. ;o)


	4. Day Three - Somewhere in Japan

 

**Day Three – Somewhere in Japan**

 

The castle is on fire in the distance, cut off from the rest of the buildings by its height and the wide moat surrounding it. The flames brighten the sky even more than the nearby city lights, making it almost seem like daytime.

 

Buffy’s face is streaked with dirt and a gash on her forehead is bleeding, her eyebrow preventing the liquid from getting into her eyes. She hefts her scythe and runs along the sidewalk toward the castle gardens, searching for any sign of Faith and Spike. Luckily, all the locals and tourists have dispersed out of fear.

 

She follows the sounds of fighting and finds herself in the gardens surrounding the castle. She hears Faith shout from inside the low building ahead of her and hurries inside through the sliding door that remains open.

 

Faith is being held up against the wall of the open dojo-like room by an invisible force. She’s choking and grabbing at her neck but not able to get a grip on anything.

 

Spike is attempting to punch the unseen foe to no avail. Relief floods him when sees Buffy, and he shouts, “Did you get him?”

 

Buffy bends to pick up the local Slayer’s long sword and tosses it to Spike before rushing forward and taking a swipe at the air, hoping against hope that the scythe might have the power to make their enemy corporeal.

 

“I got him,” she says, referring to the human who conjured the demon that’s causing so much trouble. Apparently, even humans in Japan tried to conjure up demons to gain power of some sort. Only problem is this guy chose an Oni demon, and they are notoriously impossible to control because they tend to lack a physical body that’s easily containable. “Tied him up. . . away from the fire. And damn it. I thought my mystical Slayer weapon would do the trick.”

 

They hear Faith cough, and then, she hisses, “Keep doing what you’re doing. I can breathe again.” She kicks her legs in the air, her boots almost hitting Spike in the head.

 

“Hey! Watch it!”

 

“Sorry,” she says, not sounding sorry at all and continuing to struggle.

 

“Where’s Sachiko?” Spike asks Buffy.

 

“Who?” Grunting, Buffy arcs the scythe again to try and throw the Oni off enough to drop Faith.

 

“The Slayer, pet.”

 

“Oh yeah. I don’t know. I thought she was with you.”

 

An invisible force suddenly hijacks Spike from behind and pulls him all the way back to the other side of the room with such force that he’s knocked unconscious before his mind can comprehend what’s happening. As he slips to the floor, invisible claws rake over his torso, arms, and legs so that his clothes are shredded. Buffy glimpses blood pouring out of the wide wounds.

 

Fear gripping her heart, Buffy rushes to him, swinging the scythe with mad abandon to protect her vampire. Nothing seems to be working, and Buffy is feeling desperate when the sound of drums and chanting voices fills the gardens outside. The steady beat and rhythmic intonations herald the way for the Japanese Slayer who appears in the doorway, long black hair swishing around her.

 

As Sachiko flips into the room and whips out a pair of swords, some of the local drummers enter and fan out near the wall, their beats thrumming through the open space so loudly that Buffy can’t hear anything else.

 

To her surprise, the air shimmers around three areas in the room, slowly revealing three large scarlet creatures with horns, long sharp-looking claws, and very bad hair. One is holding onto Faith, and the other two materialize around Buffy.

 

Finally, this is an enemy they can fight.

 

Sachiko gives her a little nod, and the pair arc their weapons at the much larger demons while jumping and dancing and whirling to avoid the claws. The drummers continue their steady song as the Slayers fight, and soon Faith joins them, scooping up Spike’s abandoned sword.

 

Within minutes, the demons are dispatched.

 

As Faith and Sachiko begin to gather up the corpses and the drummers disperse, their song replaced by the sounds of distant sirens, Buffy hurries to Spike’s side. He opens his eyes, his face a mask of pain. “Everything hurts.”

 

She kisses his lips, grateful that he’s even speaking and examines his wounds in dismay. “I can see why. Let’s get you back to our place.” 

 

* * *

 

Spike lays prone in the hotel bed he shares with Buffy, naked except for a towel draped over his hips, more in case Faith bursts into the room than anything else.

 

Buffy hovers over him, her legs curled under her on the mattress as she takes care of his wounds. She’s dismayed by how many and how deep there are. Luckily, they’re starting to heal a little, but Buffy’s still worried. She hasn’t seen him this bad since. . . well, since Glory tortured him and well, maybe since he burned up in Sunnydale’s hellmouth.

 

She dabs some of the viscous substance onto his thigh, and he winces. “Ow.” His whole body tenses, and he opens his eyes a slit. “What is that stuff?”

 

“Sachiko gave it me.” Buffy holds up an ointment-covered finger, so Spike can see. “Apparently, she’s dealt with Oni demons before.”

 

He closes his eyes again, and he relaxes, trying not to move as his Slayer doctors him. Part of him wishes he could appreciate her ministrations more. “Was that the purpose of the drumming?”

 

“Uh huh. Oni demons don’t like noise. . . especially celebratory noise.”

 

“Doesn’t explain how that makes them corporeal.”

 

She laughs. “I’ll leave that for the new Watchers to explain.”

 

Buffy hits a particularly sensitive spot, and he jerks. “Hold still,” pops harshly out of her mouth before she can stop herself, and then she softens as she does with Spike nowadays, “Sorry.”

 

A little frown line appears between his eyes. “You don’t have to apologize, Buffy.”

 

She spreads a thick curl of the ointment onto his knee, and tears fill her eyes. “But I do.”

 

The frown lines deepen because he isn’t sure what she’s going on about, and he reaches up to run a finger over her hand that rests on the bed. “What do you mean, pet?”

 

“I should have done this before. . . when you were hurting. . . when Glory tortured you for protecting my sister. . . when you got your soul for me. . . when you came back after Sunnydale.” A tear splashes in a cut on his leg, and when he involuntarily hisses in pain, she gives herself a little mental shake. She doesn’t want him to take care of her; it’s not her that needs consideration. “But I’m doing it now. Have to make up for. . . the past.”

 

His brow softens with compassion, and he gives her credit on more than one level for her shift, “You are, love. You’ve been.” 

 

Her brain wants to make a bigger speech, but she recognizes that she’d probably just head down the same path she wanted to avoid, so she settles on, “Thank you for always taking care of me.”

 

She pauses for a few seconds and then adds, “This was supposed to be one of those times I take care of you to make you feel special. I wasn’t expecting it to be like this.” She presses her lips to the only unbroken spot on his skin that she can find.

 

“Mmm.” He tries to make his thoughts come out through his mouth about how she’s been making him feel special, but his efforts are frustratingly fruitless for now.

 

She focuses on making sure the ointment covers every tear in his flesh, and he eventually falls asleep despite the pain. When she’s done, she sets aside the little bowl with the remaining medicine and sits back to observe him. The wounds she started on are already closing up, the edges stitching together as his vampire healing kicks in.

 

She discovers that she’s exhausted, too, and she curls up next to him, careful not to disturb her handiwork. Laying her head on the pillow near his, she too drifts off into dreamland.

 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oni demons are traditionally incorporeal Japanese demons...and the Japanese Slayer is named after eyesthatslay's mom. The name means "happy child," and the story is set in her mom's hometown.


	5. Day Four - Somewhere in Michigan

 

**Day Four – Somewhere in Michigan**

 

After searching all over the rental home where the three local Slayers live, Buffy pushes open the front door and finds Spike lounging on the porch swing and sipping a beer. The only light comes from a distant street lamp and the moon, and he’s slowly swinging and staring out into the night, his arm stretched out over the back of the long seat.

 

She ambles slowly over so as not to disturb him and slides next to him, her hands running over the sanded wood and her hip pressing up against his. She pulls his arm over her shoulder and pushes the back of her hand into his palm, running her thumb over his.

 

“Hey,” she whispers.

 

He responds by kissing the top of her head, inhaling her distinctive scent as he does so.

 

“What’re you doing out here? And being uncharacteristically quiet?”

 

“Needed a moment.” He has something to tell her but wants a little time to gather his thoughts.

 

Buffy finds herself filling in the space that Spike leaves, “Away from the other Slayers? They are extremely chatty and energetic. It’s 3 AM, and they’re all wired. . . . I used to be like that.” She sighs at the nostalgia. “Guess multi-demon attacks and kidnappings are rare in these parts. The good news is that the little girls were returned to their family, and the demons at the Ford Estate are goners without destroying the historic site. . . unlike that castle the Oni burned up in Japan.”

 

“The castle was a reproduction.”

 

“Oh.” Buffy plunges on despite Spike’s unwillingness to join her light chatter. She switches gears to the thing she really wanted to bring up, “So, I was looking for you to talk with you ‘cause I’ve been thinking about a lot of things lately, and I have something I’ve been wanting to show you.” With her free hand, she reaches into her jacket pocket and pulls out a small flat object that fits in her palm.

 

Spike’s attention is drawn to her hand, and he sets his beer to the side before taking the offered item. “What’s this?” He studies the dried flattened flower petals encased in the tiny bit of plastic.

 

“Something from Sunnydale.” At his confused expression, she explains, “We all took things on the bus, remember? Everyone took supplies we thought we might need. . . bandages, medicine, food, water. But most everyone snuck in something that meant something to them. . . something they wanted to save. . . just in case. Dawn packed the bag we shared because I was so busy and then we. . . you know.” She snuggles closer, and Spike smiles at the memory of the two of them in her basement but allows Buffy to keep going, “Dawn packed this along with photo negatives, our baby books, and some of Mom’s jewelry.”

 

“I see what it is, pet, but why’re you showing it to me now?”

 

“It’s one of the flowers that you brought for Mom.”

 

“When did I. . .” Spike knows exactly what this is from but how. . .?

 

“When Mom died. . . you brought her flowers. Don’t you remember?”

 

“But I. . .” He’d thrown them on the ground when Red and Harris confronted him.

 

“Threw them away?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Willow told me what happened later. . . years later. At the time, she picked the flowers up and brought them to the house. She gave them to Dawn, and in one of Dawn’s little projects, she pressed flowers from every bouquet we received and included a little note about who they were from. Out of all the flowers in her keepsake box, she chose to bring this particular one with us.”

 

Spike stares at the petals. He’s floored by the journey this one simple flower has taken. “I thought Dawn was. . .”

 

Buffy is on a roll with filling in Spike’s sentences, “Still mad at you back then? I think she was well on her way to forgiving you even if she never said it.”

 

“Why are you showing this to me now, love?”

 

“Because Mom’s been on my mind lately. . . and because I think Mom saw something in you before I ever did. . . well, she trusted you for some reason I don’t think I exactly understood at the time, but she did.” Buffy twists and tucks her arms around Spike’s waist, leaning her cheek on his chest.

 

“Your mum was a lovely lady.”

 

Buffy’s eyes fill with tears, but she blinks them away and continues, “And Dawn. She inherently trusted you, too, in a way she never really trusted. . .”

 

Spike decides to let her almost-mention of Angel go by for the moment and rests his chin on Buffy’s silky hair. “I suppose I have a soft spot for Summers women.”

 

“You do.”

 

“And not just because they’re related to you.” He wants her to know this distinction.

 

“I know that.” She lets one tear slip over her cheek, and the liquid wets his shirt. “It seems to me like you’ve been a member of my family for a long time now.”

 

Spike’s heart sinks a little. “I don’t know. . .”

 

“Spike. Stop it.” She pushes up to face him, forcing him to look her in the eye. She’s surprised by how hard it still is for him. She caresses the hollow of his cheek with her fingertips. “You are my family. You and Dawn.”

 

“Buffy. Don’t.” He can’t keep the anguish from his tone.

 

“Why? What’s wrong? What did I say?”

 

He takes a deep breath. “I’m scared.”

 

“What are you scared of?”

 

He rolls his eyes and focuses on the moon. “Lots of things.”

 

She doesn’t take her eyes off him despite his difficulty facing her. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m here with you. I love you.”

 

“It’s not that, pet. It’s. . . I’m afraid that I’m taking away something that you ought to have.”

 

“What’s that?”

 

“Saving those little girls tonight. It made me think how I’m taking your chance to have a child. . . a family of your own.” She opens her mouth but then closes it again as she observes his expression. “I’m afraid that you’ll wake up one day and resent me. I-I’m afraid that someone will have a particularly good day and kill you before I can stop it. And if I’m going to be completely bloody honest, I’m scared because I’ve never had a family like this before. . . a family that hasn’t said one thing and done another or that didn’t manipulate a situation to their liking.”

 

“Hey, I get it. I do. I’m scared, too.” She searches her eyes, trying to pull together her thoughts. “But you know what? I’m not Angel or Dru. And yes, we’ve done some pretty bad things to one another in the past, but we’re not there anymore. While a year may not seem like a long time to you as a vampire, it is for me as a human, and the way we’ve been communicating over the past year. . . we’re on a good path. As far as having a family, I’m nowhere near ready to raise a kid. And if I survive long enough to want a family, I’ll adopt, or there’s this little thing called artificial insemination.” She says the last part in a light, playful tone, but she means the words.

 

Spike remains serious, “I’ve been in relationships long enough, pet. People change. . . circumstances change.”

 

“You might change, too, you know.”

 

He relaxes and glances at her, a trace of a smile at the corner of his mouth. “Highly doubtful that I’ll stop loving you at this point.”

 

“Listen. One thing that I’ve learned through all of this is that all we have is this moment. Time is going to keep on going by, but we have this moment. And in this moment, the only place I want to be is with you. . . . Keep being with me in this moment please?”

 

He needs no further invitation and pulls her onto his lap, tucking the flower back into Buffy’s pocket for safekeeping. Pushing them lazily back and forth on the swing, he kisses her with slow gentleness, his lips gliding over hers with quiet hunger, and she follows his movements, her tongue pressing into his mouth without building speed as they savor each other’s touch.

 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Japanese castle is indeed a reproduction. And the Michigan location is petzipellepingo's hometown.


	6. Day Five - Somewhere in England

 

**Day Five - Somewhere in England**

 

“This does not seem like something to make me feel special.” Spike drags his feet, his shoes digging into the dirt on the path up to their destination.

 

Buffy rolls her eyes. Sometimes getting her vampire to do something is like herding a very stubborn cat. “I promise it won’t be that bad, and I promise it’s the last thing I’ll torture you with in my lame attempts to make you feel important.” She almost calls him a big baby, but she stops herself because well, that won’t get him to budge and might provoke a fight.

 

“Going to have dinner with your Watcher who conspired to kill me does not seem like my idea of a pleasant evening.” He drops Buffy’s hand, crosses his arms, and replants his feet.

 

“Good point,” she gives him this.

 

“Darn right, good point.”

 

“But it’s not like we’re staying the night, and I’m here. You don’t have to be alone with him. Plus, he’s kinda like my dad, and I haven’t seen him in over a year since we started the slayage world tour.”

 

Buffy watches him set his jaw.

 

She then pulls out the one thing she knows he can’t resist. She crosses the small distance between them and kisses him lightly on the mouth. “Do this for me?”

 

His sapphire eyes glitter even in the dim glow of the small path lights. “Damn it, pet.”

 

* * *

 

Sitting in Giles’s living room after dinner, Buffy tries to think of a time when she had one of her boyfriends over for something as traditional as a meet-the-parents. . . or rather meet-the-parent date. She remembers that her mom formally met Riley once, but she doesn’t count the Thanksgiving with Giles when Spike was tied to a chair because well, that was before anything of significance happened between them in the romantic department.

 

She decides that this meeting thing is not something she wants to repeat with any great frequency. She, Spike, and Giles ate dinner relatively peaceably, probably because the food was a nice distraction from actual conversation of any real depth, but now, the three of them are gathered together without a table between them, staring uncomfortably at anything in the cozy sitting room but one another.

 

Playing with the fringed edge of one of the plush sofa pillows, Buffy swallows and decides that she should be the one to break the proverbial ice. “So. . . Spike and I are dating. . . we’re like together together now.” She sneaks a glance at Giles who takes a sip of his scotch, adjusts his glasses, and appears reasonably calm.

 

Giles raises both eyebrows but otherwise reveals very little of what he’s feeling in that very British way of his that always drives Buffy batty. “So it seems.”

Spike, for his part, sits stiffly next to Buffy on the coach. He stayed many days and nights at Giles’s apartment after the Initiative put the chip in his brain, but he never felt so awkward. Perhaps because he was soulless? He never cared before what Rupert thought. Spike raises one eyebrow at Buffy, and she almost giggles but manages to swallow back her anxiety.

 

She searches her mind for something to say now, but she draws a blank even though she had a whole speech prepared in her head before they got here.

 

Giles watches his Slayer fidget and puts together what he’s noticed since she arrived. First, beyond the obvious nerves, she seems relaxed. . . more relaxed than he’s ever seen her, and that’s saying something given the amount of traveling, slaying, and skipping through time zones they’ve been doing. Second, there’s a light in her eyes whenever she glances at the vampire, a light that he recognizes because he’s seen it in his own eyes a time or two in his lifetime. It’s the light of a person who is completely in love. . . the kind of love that’s not based in infatuation or lust but that’s balanced and deep. A love that’s based in friendship and trust, and no matter how much he might wish it, he can’t deny that he sees the same thing in the vampire’s eyes. He recalls a time when he had a talk with Spike about his choices, about how the chip in his head might help him to change. . . to do good and help others. It seems that he did so. . . is doing so with or without the chip that prevented him from hurting humans. Nowadays, Giles is also uncertain whether the presence of the vampire’s soul even makes a difference, but he can barely admit that to himself much less the couple sitting before him. And third, Giles realizes that he loves his charge even though she’s no longer really his to watch. He wants her to be happy, and this he finds rather ironic because he never thought he’d wish her happiness with a vampire. . . least of all with Spike. Nevertheless, there it is. Despite knowing all this, he kind of enjoys seeing them squirm a bit.

 

Spike taps his finger on the arm of the sofa, and unable to stand the silence any longer, he says, “So, uh, you don’t seem to be trying to shove a stake in my heart, so I take it that must mean. . .”

 

Leaning forward in his chair, Giles cuts him off, and without acrimony in his voice, admits, “That I approve? Not necessarily. That I want Buffy to be happy? Indubitably, and if that happiness happens to be with you, someone I,” he almost says, “would never wish for her in a thousand years,” but he shifts directions at the last second, “wouldn’t necessarily want for her, so be it. Buffy’s an adult now, and I love her like my own daughter, and if she is. . . happy, I’m. . . content.” He stops short of saying he’s delighted because that wouldn’t be honest, and he’s done with beating around the bush or being dishonest with Buffy.

 

Buffy’s shoulders relax as relief floods through her, and she laughs a little.

 

Giles smiles at her. “What?”

 

Buffy shakes her head. “Nothing. I just wasn’t sure what to expect given how things have been in the past between you two.” Something about Giles’s confession allows her to add, “And I love you both so much. . . I don’t want the same old tension to get in the way of us being able to be around each other anymore.”

 

Giles decides to face this head on as the passage of time has allowed him clarity on the choices he has made and the regrets that he has. “Ah, you’re referencing the time I helped the principal to try and kill Spike.”

 

Buffy’s eyes flash as she experiences a bit of her old anger as his obliviousness. “Well, yeah.”

 

“I won’t say that that was my finest moment.”

 

“It’s right up there with you drugging me to take my powers because it was a Council tradition.” Buffy still feels terrified when she thinks about how Giles stripped her powers and allowed her to fight alone against an insane psychopathic vampire who kidnapped her mom.

 

Giles is silent for a heartbeat. “I don’t know if I’d go that far, but. . .” Buffy glares at him, and he holds up a finger to stop her. “Nevertheless, what I did was wrong.” He doesn’t try to justify his actions with commentary on how they had been in the middle of a war against an intangible enemy and how they were all having to make tough decisions. He can own his behavior and the impact it had on Buffy.

 

Spike has been silent, taking in the tennis match between his love and her father figure. He’s tempted to fall back on old ways of reacting, but he chooses not to rehash the old conflict. A lot has happened between then and now, and his time with Angel has softened him regarding old enmity. Clearly, the Watcher is different, too. He deliberately meets Giles’s eyes. “Thank you.”

 

Giles nods at him and puts his hands on his thighs. “Now. How do you feel about dessert?”

 

“I’d love some,” Buffy says, scooting closer to Spike now that the tension is eased. He scoops her hand into his cool one and smiles at her.

 

As Giles heads toward the kitchen, Buffy turns to Spike. “Well, that was. . . interesting.”

 

He brings her hand up and kisses the underside of her wrist. “Your Watcher still doesn’t like me very much.”

 

“He tolerates you, but you know what? He seems different with you than before.” Buffy threads her fingers with his.

 

“What? Because he isn’t set on killing me?” Spike is half tempted to start a make out session with Buffy just to bug the Watcher.

 

“No because he basically admitted that he can tell that I love you. . . that we’re in love.”

 

“Yeah?” Spike is thoughtful for a moment. He doesn’t know Rupert as well as Buffy does, and he still has his doubts about the Watcher despite what he said tonight. “Well, I’m sure about one thing.”

 

“What’s that?” She peers up at him with wide green eyes.

 

“That you love me and that you make me feel like I matter. You went to all this trouble to intentionally think of things to show me how much you care, and that says everything to me.”

 

She tears up at the earnestness of his words because she knows he hasn’t always felt that way with her and for good reason. “My walls are pretty tall. . .as you know. And the invitations to come in are few and far between.”

 

Spike knows this well. “For good reason. You’ve had a lot of loss and hurt in a very short span of time.” He runs his index finger up and down hers.

 

“And so have you.” She moves her gaze to his eyes for a second or two. Then, she resumes her study of their enclosed hands, “I wanted you to know that you are all the way inside, and while you may not know where all the doors and hallways lead or the ins and outs of all the rooms. . . yet, you have a standing invitation to come in and. . . explore.”

 

He nuzzles her cheek. “Oh, do I?”

 

She grins and gives him a little nudge. “Not in my Watcher’s house. I don’t want to make him suffer too much. And anyway, I’m not done.” She glimpses his lone eyebrow raise out of the corner of her eye, so she continues, “I’d like to have permission to know the ins and outs of you, too.”

 

“You know who I am, love. I don’t exactly hide it.”

 

“I know I can’t possibly know everything in your heart and mind. Just give me permission please?” Her tone is light, but she means it more than she ever has.

 

He can tell she’s serious. “Okay.”

 

She lifts her chin for a kiss, and he gladly acquiesces, her Watcher’s house be damned.

 

“I love you,” he whispers in her ear as Giles re-enters the room with a tray of pastries.

 

Fin.

 

4-9-17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: This project was created for the LJ community, Seasonal Spuffy, for the theme As Time Goes By. It’s also the 20th anniversary of BtVS, so an anniversary tale…. :o) Thank you to eyesthatslay, petzipellepingo, rebcake, tx_cronopio, gillo, kazzy_cee, trepkos, teragramm, fangfaceandrea, facingthesun, shapinglight, amoonchilde, and slaymesoftly who helped me with little details, such as what Giles might drink after dinner, little Spuffy moments, and location ideas. While I didn’t use all of them here, I appreciate the discussion…made the fic writing more fun and interactive and made my little corner of fandom feel warm and cozy again…like coming home.


End file.
